Strawberries, cream and meringue – summer on a plate.
In late September in Sydney we are experiencing 30 degeee days and lots of sunshine. It feels more like summer than spring! This is a happy time when the climate of the two hemispheres is somewhat aligned. Late summer in the north meets early summer here.
So let’s celebrate strawberries in all their glory! Here’s an Eton Mess, more procedure than recipe. My version has a mixture of cream and mascarpone, a pink meringue, some strawberry goo (strawberries cooked with a little sugar until gooey) and strawberry powder sprinkled on top, the latter a serendipitous find at @TheSourceBulkFoodsBalmain, my local providore for nuts, grains, dried fruit etc.
Here is the procedure. I am not giving quantities – just use your judgement as to how much you want of each ingredient.
Ingredredients
Strawberries
Cream
Mascarpone
Crushed meringue
Strawberry fruit goo* (you could just as easily use strawberry jam)
Strawberry powder
Method
Layer individual glass dishes or one large trifle bowl with hulled fresh strawberries, cut in half if large, or left whole if small. Add cream to some mascarpone until the consistency of whipped cream – add a little cream at a time so you can find the “right” consistency.
Pile spoonfuls of the cream mixture onto the strawberries, then sprinkle over some crushed meringue. Add a little of the strawberry fruit goo. Add more spoonfuls of cream, strawberries and larger meringue pieces.
To finsh, sprinkle over some strawberry powder.
So there it is – Eton Mess with a very berry theme!
*Strawberry fruit goo – cook 250g of very ripe strawberries with 50g sugar in a pan over a medium heat, stirring the mixture until the sugar dissolves, mushing the strawberries a little. Cook until the mixture has reduced and you have a sticky jam like consistency.
The Quirk and the Cool 